Highway guard



June 13, 1933. c. H. MACDONALD HIGHWAY GUARD original Filed June 11, lza 2 sheets-sheet 1 li\ I EN TOR.

June 13, 1933. C H. MACDONALD 1,913,715

HIGHWAY GUARD Original Filed June l1, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I.\'I 'EN TOR.

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Patented June 13, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CHARLES H. MACDONALD, 0F DENVER, OOLORLDO, ASBIGNOB T0 THE COLORADO FUEL IRON COMPANY, 0F DENVER, CGLOBADO, A. CORPORATION. 0I' OOIJRADO HIGHWAY GUARD Application led June 11, 1928, Serial lo. 884,44. Ienewed October l, 1982.

This invention relates to guard fences for highways, its primary object bein to provide a laterally or horizontally resi ient fence which at any point of a highway along which it is applied, provides a concussion-deadening barrier to etfectivel arrest the movement of automobiles and ot er vehicles, without injury to the vehicles and their occupants and wit out damage to the barrier itself.

The invention presents a striking improvement over highway-guard fences at present in use, in which cables or planks are fastended directly to posts set in the ground along a side of the road, since it provides a lateral or horizontal resilience not obtainable by the cables or planks fastened as stated hereinbefore, and since' it prevents the vehicles from coming in direct contact with the supporting osts.

A furt er object of the invention resides in providing a guard-fence in which the shock of the impact of an automobile is distributed over a considerable area of the structure, whereby full advantage is obtained 0f the resilience and elasticity of the entire unit, and still other objects are found in details of construction as will be fully and clearly brought out in the course of the following description.

Features of the invention shown and described but not claimed in this application have been separately shown, described and claimed in my co-pending application, Serial No. 340,897, for which Letters Patent No. 1,776,517 issued September 30, 1930, and other features of the invention shown and described 'but not claimed in this application have been separately shown, described and claimed in my co-pending application, Serial No. 411,033.

In the accompanying drawings in the several views of which like parts have been similarly designated,

Figure 1 represents a diagrammatic plan view of a guard-fence made in accordance with my invention, in its operative position at a side of a highway;

Figure 2, a perspective view of a section of the fence along the outside of a curve of the road;

Figure 3, a similar view of a section of the fence alo a tangent or along a reverse curve of t e road;

Figure 4, a perspective view showin a section of a ard-fence includin a wire nettin in ad ition to the resilient y supported cab es that constitute the barrier proper;

Fi re 5 a sectional lan-view of the an choring and tensioning e ements em loyed in connection with the ends of the cab es;

Figure 6, a section taken on the line 6-6, Fi ure 5;

' igure 7, a sectional side elevation of one of the intermediate posts of the construction illustrated in Figure 2, showing the method of supporting the protective cables thereon;

Figure 8, a top-vlew of the post illustrated in Figure 7;

Figure 9, a side view of one of the intermediate posts of sections of the fence used on tangents and reverse curves, illustrating a modlfied construction of the brackets by whichthe cables constituting the barrier proper, are supported;

Figure 10, a top-view of the post shown in Fi re 9;

igure 11, a fragmentary and enlarged face-view of a small portion of the fence, to better illustrate the a plication of a wire netting in connection with the cables, and

Figure 12, an elevation of a post of modified construction.

Referring further to the drawings, the supporting element of the guard fence comprises end-posts 5 and intermediate posts 6, the latter being, under ordinary conditions, of somewhat lighter construction.

The barrier-element of the fence consists essentially of two or more wire cables 7, and may include a wire-netting 8, the cables being supported on the posts in a novel manner which disposes them at a distance forward of the posts, and, which by properly a plied tension, renders the barrier suiiicientlly resilient to resist and deaden the shock of concussion by the impact of vehicles driven against the fence.

The end-posts may be placed at opposite ends of any determined portion of the fence or they may be installed at the ends of the structure and at the points at which the curvature of the road is reversed or merged into a tangent.

In Figure 1 of the drawings the letter A designates the section of the fence at a righthand curve of the road, B, the section of the fence at the reverse or left-hand curve and C the section of the fence at the tangent between the curves. End-posts have been shown at opposite ends of the section A and at the far end of section B.

The. fence in section A is constructed in accordance with the method illustrated in Figure 2. The end-posts 5, made of structural metal, preferably of angle-section, are each composed of two upright members 9 and 10 spaced apart by distance-pieces 12 and 13 and fastened together by rivets 14.

The post thus constructed is fastened upon a base plate 15 by means of an angle 16, and it is braced by an angle-bar 17 fastened at its upper end to the distance piece 12 adjacent the top of the post proper and supported at its other end upon the base 15.

An angle-piece 18 fastened lengthwise of the base, braces the structure against lateral displacement and at the same time secures the lower end of the slanting brace.

The entire structure is set in a concrete foundation 19, as shown in Figure 6.

The intermediate posts, likewise made of structural metal, may be composed of two members of angle-section as best shown in Figures 7 and 8, spaced apart and set conjointly in a concrete foundation 20.

The various posts are placed apart at equal distances, along an edge of the road, and in the construction of the fence, the two cables are drawn through the spaces of the endvposts upon the distance-pieces 12 and 13.

The ends of the cables are, by means of clamps 21, secured at the ends of anchor-rods 22, which at their opposite ends are fastened to angle-shaped deadmen 23 set in a block 24 of concrete, or the like.

The anchor-rods are made in two parts connected by turn buckles 25 so that the cables may be stretched after the anchors are in lace.

The two cables constituting the fence proper, are now tensioned by drawing them laterally toward the intermediate posts and they are thus secured at determined distances from the. posts by means of short transverse wire cables 26.

It is preferred to use on each intermediate post one cable 26 to support both cables of the barrier-structure, but it is to be understood that the same result may be attained by two separate flexible connections, one for each cable.

In the construction shown in Figure 7, the cable 26 passes across two plate washers 27 fastened in the space between the members of which the intermediate posts are composed, and they are held frictionally against excessive longitudinal motion by lock-bolts 28. rlhe ends of the cables are provided with loops 29 through which the fence-cables pass,

and in order to place both vertical and horizontal tension on the fence at each post, the ends of the supporting cables are pitched upward at the top of the fence and downward at the bottom of the same, as shown.

Having thus described the method of constructing the fence, it will be evident that the cables mounted in curvilinear form forward of and in movable relation to the posts provide a resilient barrier which not only deadens and resists the shocks of impact of vehicles and other bodies, but also prevents bodies colliding With the cables. from hitting the posts on which the fence is supported.

As an additional safeguard, the net of wire fencing 8 may be applied to the cables by running the latter through the top and bottom strands thereof, said net being secured at its ends to the end posts or dead men 5, and as shown in Fig. 11. It will be evident that this manner of supporting the net 8 permits of some relative movement between the cables 7 and the net in the event of an impact against either the net or cables.

It is obvious that at a tangent or on a reverse curve of the road a different method of supporting the fence must be employed in order to obtain the necessary tension. One method has been illustrated in Figure 3, in which the cables 7 are supported at the ends of armsor brackets 30 projecting forwardly from the posts. The brackets have at their forward ends, U-bolts 31 through which the cables pass, and the brackets consist, preferably, of resilient steel plates so that they may give laterally when the fence is struck by a moving object.

The resiliency of the brackets may be considerably increased by hinging the brackets on the posts as shown at 32 in Figure 9, and by providing suitable springs 33 that vieldingly resist the lateral movement of the brackets in either direction.

Having thus described my guard-fence, its advantages as outlined hereinbefore, Will be readily understood.

The resilient fence tensioned and constructed in the manner shown and described leaves no possibility for a speeding vehicle to directly contact with or skid along the fence and collide with one or more of the supporting posts, the resilience of the fence deadens the shock of the impact of the vehicle at any part thereof, and it causes the shock to be distributed over a large area of the fence. all of which prevents breakage and minimizes the danger of iniury and damage to both the vehicles and their occupants, and the fence structure itself.

Variations in the construction and arrangement of the constituent parts of the guardfence as shown and described, may be resorted to within the spirit of the invention as defined in the hereunto appended claims.

The guard-cables of the construction, illustrated in Figure 2, may, for example, be kept from sagging by substituting for the transverse supporting-cables 26 on the intermediate posts, at certain intervals, rigid arms such as those shown at 30 in Figure 9. The rigid arms have been indicated at 26"L in Figure 2, and are of particular value where the guard-cables are of considerable length.

On narrow roads where it is impractical and inadvisable to encroaeh on the driving surface, the guard-rails or barriers may be supported at or beyond a side of the roadway by means of posts 35 which, at their lower ends, have laterally projecting feet 35, as illustrated in Figure 12. Posts thus constructed may be placed at an edge of the roadsurface with their feet projecting beneath the same, as indicated.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A highway guard fence comprising endposts and intermediate posts, a barrier supported by the end-posts, and flexible connections for the barrier, provided by forwardly projecting end-portions of cables supported on the intermediate posts.

2. A highway guard fence comprising endposts and intermediate posts, a barrier supported by the end-posts, and flexible connections for the barrier, provided by forwardly projecting end-portions of cables supported on the intermediate posts, and frictionally held against longitudinal displacement. f

3. A highway guard fence comprising endposts and intermediate posts, guide-pieces on the intermediate posts, cables turned around said guide-pieces with their end-portions projecting forwardly from' the respective posts, and a barrier supported by the end-posts and by the cables.

4. A highway guard fence comprising endposts and intermediate posts, guide-pieces on the intermediate posts, cables turned around said guide-pieces with their end-portions projecting forwardly from the respective posts, lock-bolts clamping the cables against longitudinal motion,'and a barrier supported by the end-posts and by the cables. I

5. A highway guard fence comprising a series of posts, cables held on the posts, and having portions projecting forwardly from the posts, and a flexible barrier supported at its upper and lower portions by the outer ends of said forwardly projecting portions.

6. A highway guard fence having an incurving section, an out-curving section and a tangent, and comprising a series of posts, longitudinally movable and laterally flexible members projecting forwardly from the posts at the in-curved section, laterally resilient, longitudinally rigid members projecting from the posts at other sections, and a yielding barrier supported at the ends of the members.

7 A highway guard having an in-curving section and an out-curving section, and comprising a series of posts, longitudinally movable and laterally flexible members projecting forward from the posts at the in-curved section, laterally resilient, lon itudinally rigid members projecting from t 1e posts at other sections, and a yielding barrier su ported by the member, one of the longitud',- nally rigid members assisting in holding the barrier away from posts in the in-curved section.

8. A highway guard having in-eurving and out-curvin sections, comprisinga series of posts, flexi le means held on the posts on the in-curving section, having portions projecting forward from the posts, laterally movab e members projecting from posts in the out-curving section, and a barrier sup rted by said projecting portions of the fiiioxible means and by said members, one of said members assisting in holding the barrier away from posts in the in-curved section.

9. A highway guard having in-c-urving and out-curving sections, comprising a series of posts, flexible means held on the posts on the in-curving section, having portions projecting forward from the posts, laterally resilient members projecting from posts in the out-curving section, and a barrier supported by said projecting portions of the.-

flexible means and by said members.

10. A highway guard fence comprising, in combination, end posts, a barrier suspended on the end posts, intermediate posts spaced from the barrier, and cables extending from the intermediate posts, tensioning the barrier for lateral defiection.

11. In a highway guard fence, a post comprising members of structural angle section set face to face in spaced relation to each other; and means for the support of a barrier forward of the post, supported by the members in the space between the same, the post when thus assembled being of substantially T-shaped section.

12. In a highway guard fence, a post comprising members of structural angle section set face to face in spaced relation to each other, and means for the support of a barrier forwardly of the post, guide-pieces between the faces to support said means, and a lockbolt to frictionally hold said means against excessive longitudinal motion.

13. A highway guard fence comprising a series of posts, cables on the posts having forwardly projecting portions and a flexible barrier supported at the outer ends of said forwardly projecting portions, said cables being movable on the post whereby to effect a compensating movement of said forwardly projecting portions transversely of the post under the impact of a body striking the barr1er.

14. A highway guard fence comprising a series of posts, a fiexible barrier anchored at its ends, and cables supported by the posts, each having upper and lower portions projecting forwardly from the respective posts in suspending connection with the barrier.

15. A highway guard fence comprisin a series of posts, al flexible barrier anchore at its ends, and cables on the posts, each having upper and lower end portions converging forwardly of the respective posts in suspending connection with the barrier.

16. A highway guard comprising a series .of posts, supporting means projecting forward from the posts, cables longitudinal of the posts supported by said means, and wire netting supported by the cables, said netting andy cables being relatively movable intermediate the ends of the netting.

V 17. A highway guard comprising a series of posts, wire netting for a barrier, cables passing through mesh of the netting to support same, said netting and cables being relatively movable intermediate the ends of the netting, and supporting means for the cables projecting forward from the posts.

18. A highway guard fence comprising, in combination, rigid end posts, a substantially continuous barrier connected to said end posts, intermediate posts spaced from the barrier, and laterally flexible connections on the intermediate posts, engaging the top and bottom respectively of said barrier, and tensioning the barrier for lateral deflection.

19. A highway guard fence comprising a series of posts, a pair of cables, means on intermediate posts of said series for supporting the cables forwardly thereof and in spaced relation to the surface in which the posts are set, a wire netting secured at its ends and carried by both cables, and similarly spaced from said surface, said netting being longitudinally yieldable intermediate its ends.

20. A highway guard fence comprising in combination, a series of posts, cables extending throughout the extent of said series of posts and substantially determining the length of the guard, means on the posts supporting the cables, and a barrier in spaced relation to the posts, connected with and supported by the cables.

21. A highway guard comprising in combination, a series of posts, cables extending throughout the extent of said series of posts and substantially determining the length of the guard, means on the posts supporting the cables, `and a yieldable barrier in spaced relation to the posts, said barrier being connected with and supported by the cables.

22. A highway guard comprising in combination, a series of posts, cables spanning t-he spaces between the posts, means on the posts supporting the cables, and a barrier in s aced relationv to the posts, connected with an -supported by the cables.

23. A highway guard comprising 'a series of posts, a barrier, members sup orted by the o f posts, supported by the transverse projectf ing portions of the barrier supporting means, in spaced relation to the surface in which the posts are set.

25. A highway guard comprising a series of posts, barrier supporting means rojecting from a ries of posts in outwardly converging stretches on the respective posts and a barrier supported by said means in spaced relation to the surface in which the posts are set.

26. A highway guard fence comprising a series of posts, barrier supportin cables on the posts having portions pitche upwardly and downwardly respectively, and a barrier supported' by the forward projecting portions ofthe cables in spaced relation to the surface in which the posts are set.

27. A highway guard fence comprising in combination, a series of posts, cables tensioned forward of said series of posts and substantially determining the length of the guard, supporting means for the cables on the posts, and a barrier supported by the cables and adapted to yield'ingly resist impact of a moving vehicle by flexure of said cables.

28. A highway guard fence comprising a series of posts, a flexible barrier supported under tension longitudinally of the posts, and

flexible barrier supporting means projecting upwardly from the posts, under tension, with the outer portions thereof engaging said barrier whereby said means is effective to connect the barrier to the posts.

In testimony whereof I have afiixed my signature.

CHARLES H. MACDONALD. 

